Stripper



May 16, 1950 Filed June 3, 1946 E. WINKLER 2,508,083

STRIPPER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ill y 1950 E. L. WINKLER 2,508,083

STRIPPER Filed June 3, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 H63. f Q/ 7 Patented May16, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to strippers and, more particularly, to apparatusfor automatically stripping the waste portions from box-blank portionspreviously incompletely severed from cardboard blanks.

Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision ofan automatic stripper for rapidly and efficiently separating the wasteportions from incompletely severed boxblank portions of cardboardsheets; the provision of a stripper of this class which separates thewaste portions from the box-blank portions by tearing the connectionsbetween said portions; the provision of such a stripper which is readilyadjustable to strip various sizes of sheets having various box-blankoutlines cut therein; and the provision of a stripper of this classadapted con tinuously to convey the sheets to the stripper and to feedthe stripped box blanks in one direction and the waste in anotherdirection to a point of disposal. Other objects will be in part obviousand in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations ofelements, features of construction, and arrangements of parts which willbe exemplified in the structures hereinafter described, and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possibleembodiments of the invention is illustrated,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the waste stripper of this invention;

.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section taken through the stripper ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a cardboard sheet adapted to be stripped by thestripper of Fig. i;

Fig. 4 is a plan view on a reduced scale of the waste portion per se ofthe sheet of Fig. 3; and,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section through the stripper, taken online 5--5 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

Flat cardboard box blanks which are adapted ultimately to be folded intoboxes are conventionally formed by die cutting cardboard sheets on theoutlines of box blanks within the peripheries of the sheets. Thiscutting operation leaves peripheral waste portions of the sheetssurrounding the box-blank outline therein. These waste portions arealmost completely severed from the box-blank portions of the sheets inthe cutting operation but remain connected to the box-blank portions bynarrow connecting tongues or bridges.

These connecting tongues result from the provision of narrow recesses ornotches in the die cutting blades so that the sheet is completelysevered on the box-b1ank outline except in the zones of the notches,where it remains unsevered. The waste has heretofore been separated fromthe box blanks by stacking a plurality of the sheets and manuallybeating off the peripheral waste portions with a mallet or hammer. Thisinefficient manual process is superseded by the stripper of thisinvention, which provides for automatic and expeditious stripping of thewaste from the box blanks.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 3, there isshown at numeral l a typical blanked sheet adapted to be stripped by theapparatus of this invention. This sheet is rectangular in outline andhas been processed by means of a system of cuts extending completelythrough the sheet on interrupted cut lines 3, each out line 3 being inaccordance with the outline requirements of a box blank 5. There are twosuch systems of cut lines and, consequently, two such box blanks 5. Theinterruptions in cut lines 3 connote narrow connecting tongues orbridges 'l, which connect the box-blank portions 5 and waste portion 9.The waste portion 9 includes three longitudinally extending waste leaderstrips ll, l3 and I5 connected at one end by a transverse strip I! (Fig.4). The dotted lines l9 within the box-blank outlines connote scorelines upon which the box blanks are ultimately folded into the form of abox.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1, 2

" and 5, the elements of the waste stripper of this invention aremounted in a frame comprisin a bottom member 2|, side frame members 23and 25, a rearward end member 21 and a forward end frame member 25. Anendless conveyor belt 3! passes around belt rolls 33, 35 and 31journalled in the side frame members. A belt tightening idler roll 39 isadjustably journalled in the side frame members to provide the propertension on the belt 3|. An idler nip roll 4| is journalled in bearings43 mounted on the upper edges of side frame members 23 and 25. This rollcooperates with the upper surface of the belt 3! to form means forfeeding the sheets forward. The upper reach 45 of belt 3! between rolls33 and 35 is substantially horizontaLthough the belt slopes slightlyupward from nip roll ii to roll 35. The reach #6 of belt 3| betweenrolls 35 and 31 slopes forward and downward from roll 35. Another idlernip roll 41, journalled in the side frame members, engages the uppersurface of the s1op ing reach 45 of belt 3I for a purpose to bedescribed.

An inverted U-shaped bracket 5I has its side legs suitably connected tothe side frame mem bers 23 and 25. The bar 53 of the bracket spans theframe between the side frame members and has an elongate slot 55therein. Secured to the bar 53 are stripping fingers 51 which extendforward and downward from the bar. The forward ends 58 of these fingersare curved around the belt 3I over the belt roll 35. Each strippingfinger 5? has an eye 59 at its rearward end. The eyes 59 are disposed onthe bar 53 and secured thereto in adjusted position by nut and boltfastenings 6|. The bolts of these fastenings pass through the eyes andthrough the slot 55 in the bar 53. The stripping fingers 51, asindicated particularly in Fig. 5, are narrower than the waste leaderstrips II, I3 and I5 and are positioned on the bar 53 so as to engageand deflect these strips around roll 35 and into the nip of nip roll 41and belt 3I, but to permit the passage of box blanks 5 between thefingers. A rod 63, suitably secured at its ends to the side framemembers, as indicated at 65, is positioned over the ends 58 of fingers51 to retain them in position against belt 3 I.

Also adjustably secured to the bar 53 by the nut and bolt fastenings 6|are finger 51 having rollers 69 journalled in the forward ends thereof.These rollers are adapted to engage the waste leader strips II, I3 andI5 intermediate the nip roll II and the stripping fingers 51 to preventbuckling of the strips when they engage the fingers 5?. Fingers 61 areprovided with slots II in their rearward ends, which are disposedagainst the bottom of bar 53. The bolts of the fastenings 6| extendthrough the slots II in fingers 01. The fingers 61 are thus coadjustablewith stripping fingers 51.

An endless conveyor belt 13 for conveying stripped box blanks from thestripper passes around belt rolls I5, TI and I9 journalled in theforward ends of the side frame members 23 and 25. justable bearings 83mounted on the side frame members provides for proper tension in thebelt. An idler nip roll 85 is journalled in bearings 81 mounted on theside frame members in position to engage the upper surface of belt 13between belt rolls 15 and 11. Secured to bar 53 are resilient guidefingers 89 which extend forward and downward therefrom into engagementwith the belt 13 over roller I5. The forward ends of these guide fingersguide the stripped 'box blanks into the nip of nip roll 85 and belt 13.The guide fingers are slotted at their rearward ends and are adjustablysecured on bar 53 by nut and bolt fastenings 9|. The bolts of thesefastenings extend through the slots in the guide fingers and the slot 55in the bar 53.

A motor 93 is mounted within the frame wi h its shaft extending beyondthe side frame member 25. The motor drives a countershaft 95 by means ofa belt 91 passing around a small pulley 99 on the motor shaft and alarge pulley IOI on the countershaft. The countershaft 95 is coupled tobelt roll 31 by a belt I03 passing around Small pulley I05 on thecountershaft and a large pulley I01 on the shaft I09 of the belt roll31. Shaft I 09 is coupled to drive belt roll 19 by a belt III, passingaround a pulley II3 on shaft I09 and pulley H5 on the shaft II! of beltroll I9. Belts 3| and I3 are driven clockwise, as viewed in Fig. 2.

A belt tightening roll 8| journalled in ad- A side guide I2I for guidingthe side edge of a cardboard sheet I is adjustably mounted upon theupper edge of the side frame member 23. This side guide is supported byslotted brackets I23 and may be locked in adjusted transverse positionby nut and bolt fasteners I25, the bolts passing through the slots inthe brackets.

Operation of the stripper is as follows:

For stripping cardboard sheets such as shown at I, the stripping fingers5'! are transversely adjusted upon the bar 53 to positions wherein theforward ends 58 are adapted to engage the waste leader strips iI, I3 andI5. This also adjusts fingers 6'! so that rollers 69 are adapted toengage the strips to prevent buckling. The side guide IEI is adjusted sothat when the edge of the leader strip I5 engages it, the cardboardsheet is in such a position that the leader strips I I, I3 and I5 willbe engaged and deflected by fingers 51. The operator places a cardboardsheet I upon the reach 45 of conveyor belt 3|, with the edge of leaderstrip I5 against the side guide I2I, and preferably with the ends of theleader strips forward. The cardboard sheet is then conveyed by theconveyor belt 3| into the nip of nip roll I and the belt 35, which feedthe sheet forward. As the cardboard sheet emerges from between the roll4| and the belt 3! the waste leader strips II, I3 and I5 are grippedbetween the forward ends 58 of fingers 5? and the belt 3I and therebyconstrained to travel on the sloping reach 46 of belt 3|. The boxblanks, being unconstrained, travel forward in the direction of theplane path between rollers 69 and the belt 3| The divergence of thepaths of travel of the box blanks and the waste portion 9 results in thetearing of the narrow tongue or bridge connections I to separate the boxblanks from the waste portion. The ends 58 of fingers 57 direct thewaste portion 9 into the nip of nip roll 41 and the belt 3! and thewaste is thereby conveyed downward onto the bottom member 2! of theframe for disposal. The box blanks are moved forward until their forwardends are guided by the ends of guide fingers 89 into the nip of nip rolland. belt 13, whereupon the box blanks are conveyed away by the belt I3.

The operator may rapidly place the cardboard sheets I upon the reach 45of the belt 3| and thereby effect rapid, automatic stripping of thesheets. The forward ends 58 of the stripping fingers 5; functioneffectively to separate the waste portion 9 from the box blanks 5 by atearing apart of the connecting tongues 1 between these portions. A widevariety of sizes and configurations of box blanks may be stripped bysuitable adjustment of stripping fingers 51.

In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageous results attained.

As many changes could be made in the above constructions withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a conveyor belthaving a substantially horizontal upper reach and a reach slopingforward and downward therefrom, a nip roll engaging said upper reach andcooperating therewith to feed a. sheet forward along a substantiallyhorizontal path, said sheet comprising a plurality of portions separableupon substantially longitudinal lines, a second nip roll engaging thesloping reach of the belt, and a deflecting finger adapted to guide oneof said portions of said sheet onto the sloping reach of said belt andinto the nip of said second nip roll and belt, thereby to separate saidone portion from the remainder of said sheet and to feed it to a pointof disposal.

2. Apparatus of the character described, comprising a conveyor belthaving a substantially horizontal upper reach and a reach slopingforward and downward therefrom, a nip roll engaging said upper reach andcooperating therewith to feed a sheet forward along a substantiallyhorizontal path, said sheet including a waste portion separable from theremainder of said sheet along substantially longitudinal lines, saidwaste portion including a plurality of transversely spaced strips, 3.second nip roll engaging said sloping reach of the belt, and a pluralityof transversely spaced deflecting fingers adapted to guide said stripsonto the sloping reach of REFERENCES CITED The following references areof record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 799,624 Beck et a1. Sept. 19,1905 1,303,680 Kent May 13, 1919 1,401,268 Manischewitz Dec. 27, 19211,983,708 Ruble et al Dec. 11, 1934 2,171,769 Stolar et a1. Sept. 5,1939 Re. 21,718 McFarland et a1. Feb. 18, 1941

